The Greene County Democrat - June 24, 2026

Reps. Sewell and Ocasio-Cortez selected to Co-Convene House Democrats' Cost of Living Healthcare Working Group

By Christopher Kosteva,

Office of Representative Terri Sewell (AL-07)

Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep Terri Sewell

Washington D C Today U S Rep Terri Sewell (AL-07) announced that House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has selected her to serve as Co-Convener of House Democrats' Cost of Living Healthcare Working Group alongside Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14)

See Healthcare Working Group, p 6

What resilient farm operations do differently long before harvest season

By Alison Green, BlackPressUSA Newswire

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE The stakes are high According to the USDA Economic Research Service, America s farms contribute more than $200 billion to U S GDP, underscoring how much depends on reliable agricultural operations By the time harvest season arrives many of the most important decisions have already been made Resilience is built during the quieter months, long before it is ever needed

See Harvest Season, p 6

Doctors seeing more cases of preventable childhood illnesses

By Stacy M Brown, BlackPressUSA Newswire

OAKLAND POST Physicians have said vaccine skepticism has expanded beyond childhood immunizations Doctors also reported growing resistance to other preventive treatments Doctors across the United States say they are treating children for illnesses that routine vaccinations once made increasingly uncommon, raising concerns that years of declining immunization rates are beginning to reverse decades of public health progress

See Preventable Childhood Illnesses, p 6

Juneteenth and the Revolutionary Power of Rest for Black Women

By Joce Blake, BlackPressUSA Newswire

The holiday serves as a profound reminder that for Black women, embracing self-care and rejecting grind culture’ is a radical act of liberation with deep historical roots As the nation observes Juneteenth many Black women are reframing the holiday not just as a commemoration of emancipation, but as a powerful call to embrace rest as a revolutionary act of personal liberation

See Juneteenth, p 6

TBOC r equests suppor t fr om city council

On Tuesday June 23rd 2026 city council members gathered for a regular meeting in city hall No decisions were made during the work session held prior to this session All city council members were present

Mayor Cockrell reported that the city is diligently working to address water leaks while keeping the streets clean He also states that the city is in communication with new businesses

coming to Eutaw and with AL-DOT regarding infrastructure progress Council member reports consisted of reminders for June events and students within the Greene County School System Councilwoman Hunter urged parents of Greene County students to update their personal contact information, as she is not the point of contact for personal school communications She also commented

that Sun Bucks have already been distributed and many may not have received them due to incorrect contact information As a parent herself Hunter urged attendees to contact the school with updated information and to check the post office for undelivered Sun Bucks Councilwoman Logan wanted to remind citizens that the 250th Celebration of America will be held this Saturday June 27th

There is still time to sign up for the parade and admission is free They are seeking participants with classic cars, tractors, and wagons Councilwoman Watkins will be handing out fresh produce that same morning at 10:00 am at 218 Bligee Street They are requesting a $5 donation during the distribution

See City Council, p 5

A sense of histor y: W hy this Black Belt county has Ala bama’s highest voter tur nout

By Drew Taylor, Alabama Reflector

EUTAW In the town square of Eutaw, the modern world hems in a relic of an older one that no longer exists

The Eutaw Hotel is long gone Even among older locals, the V J Elmore’s Five & Dime is nothing but a faint memory Places like Mills Pharmacy or Main Street Diner get the foot traffic these days But inside the square the old Greene County Courthouse still stands, along with a towering oak tree just yards away

The tree was much shorter when Earlean Isaac, then 15 years old, marched with others to the courthouse for voting rights in 1965 It was where Isaac, who would go on to become the first Black female probate judge in the county was beaten by a police officer

He hit me with his Billy club,” Isaac said

By 1969 with a newly ordered election mandated by the Supreme Court to recognize the National Democratic Party of Alabama voters would elect four Black candidates–Harry Means, Franchie Burton, Vassie Knott and Levi Morrow Sr to the Greene County Commission and put two new

Black members Robert Hines and James Posey, on the Greene County School Board These six men put Greene County on the map as the first county across the country since Reconstruction to put a majorityBlack government in office

A year later outside the very courthouse where Isaac was beaten, Thomas Gilmore a minister who had returned to Greene County from Los Angeles a few years prior, was sworn in as the first Black sheriff in Greene County going on to get the nick-

name of “The Sheriff Without a Gun Today, across the street from the old courthouse sits the new one named after William McKinley Branch, the first Black probate judge in Greene County It’s a history that plays a crucial part in the area s voter turnout often among the highest across Alabama in any given year Leading the vote in Alabama

During the primary election in May, Greene County had a 51% voter turnout compared with the 23 11% turnout statewide

Countywide there are 6,332 registered voters Usually, our voter turnout depends on who’s on the ballot that will really drive the votes out Isaac said

There were several big local races in Greene County this spring including races for a district judge and sheriff But Greene County consistently outpaces the rest of the state for turnout In the 2022 primary, 44 5% of the county’s eligible voters cast ballots

See Spiver Gordon, p 2

Skull found on Kir ksey Avenue, investigation ongoing

The Eutaw Police Department reported the following arrests

6/5-Avin Black was arrested for disorderly conduct

6/7-Jereniah Bullock was arrested for assault III

6/15- Nigel Powell was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest

The Eutaw Police Department reported the following incidents

6/1- The Greene County Housing Authority reported criminal mischief

6/5- Kamia Fulgham reported domestic violence III

6/11- Tangy Powell reported the CEO of Greene County Hospital for personal matters

6/11-Cassandra Taylor

reported robbery

6/12-Curtis Jordan reported a verbal threats

6/12-Michael Barton reported a verbal threats

6/12- Linda Merriweather reported damaged to property

6/15- Alma Jones reported domestic violence III

6/15- LaTavia Fall reported harassment

6/15- Damian Issac reported property damaged to vehicle

6/16- A Skull that appeared to be of a human was found on Kirksey Avenue

6/21- Zikiah Simmon reported harassment

6/22-Aaliyah Cross reported shooting into an occupied vehicle

The Greene County Sheriff Department reported the following arrests 6/15- Demarius Ward 25, of Boligee, AL was arrested for rape 1st degree, receiving stolen property 1st degree and robbery 1st degree

The Greene County Sheriff Department reported the following incidents

6/15- Tara Terrell reported theft of property 1st degree, Item stolen: Homemade food trailer yellow pink and turquoise in color valued at $80,000

6/17- Telisa McCaa reported theft of property 1st degree Item Stolen: Orange and red cherry picker value unknown; Black

four-wheeler trailer value unknown; Small orange and red trailer value unknown 6/20- Marathon Gas Station of Boligee reported theft of

TBOC students and staff at the city council meeting

Spiver Gordon at the Magnolia House, photo by Andi Rice for Alabama Reflector

False Dreams

We live among people who dream as we do, and we expect they prepare as we do to live their dreams

We may dream the same and our words may speak to the same dreams, but when the day is done and we look back before we carry on so little in that day gone resembles anything that may have been a dream

As we dream and live among people who dream as we do, and prepare as we do to live our dreams, We are encouraged that the dreams we share reflect the faith that binds us, the courage that moves us forward, and the love that deems us one

As we dream and live among people who dream, we must acknowledge that what we dream may not be in our destiny

Carol Prejean Zippert

Spiver Gor don

In 2020 Greene County’s turnout for the presidential election was 68 3% compared to 62 8% statewide In 2024, while the state as a whole posted its lowest voter turnout for a presidential election in over 30 years with 58 5% nearly 61 7% of Greene County’s registered voters turned out to the polls

This comes despite Greene County being Alabama s smallest county by population Just 7,730 people lived there in 2020, according to the U S Census Recent estimates have that number closer to 7,000 as of last July Greene County also ranks as among the oldest, with a median age close to 44, and one of the poorest, with a median household income of about $29,200, compared to $63,999 statewide

Richard Fording a political science professor at the University of Alabama said that because of these obstacles, trying to explain this surge of voters in both Greene County, as well as the Black Belt as a whole is complicated

These are counties where the demographic disadvantages are pretty extreme, Fording said “It’s more interesting for that region ”

However, for people from Greene County, one thing it has never lacked is political involvement Rep Curtis Travis D-Tuscaloosa who remembers meeting both Gilmore and Branch as a boy at his father ’s garage in Eutaw, credits his home county with putting him in the Alabama Legislature in the first place

“Greene County was the one that got me over,” said Travis, who beat Ralph Anthony Howard by 500 votes in Greene County to win the Democratic primary in 2022

For Travis, one aspect of Greene County’s high voter turnout, as well as much of the Black Belt s, is a recognition of the past and how Black people were able to make change with the vote

That empowerment is something that is shared with pride, Travis said They keep it alive and they know where they come from ”

Community centers are one way the community tries to keep that tradition alive, often hosting candidate forums with locals However Travis said these forums are anything but easy for anyone looking for votes

There was one candidate who came out to speak to the seniors at the Boligee Community Center and it was like he was on trial,” Travis said “They like to get their questions out there

Hattie Samuel, mayor of Bolligee, said the town’s community center, located in the former Greene County Training School, has always been a good place for people to talk about politics and engage with the political system

What we do is when a candidate qualifies to run, we like to study that person, Samuel said “A lot of people at the center can’t get around for the campaign so having these candidates come here has been great

Severe Strode a 93-year-old woman who lives in Boligee is a regular at the Boligee Community Center and one of those in Greene County who tried to keep that empowerment alive getting out to vote in the last primary

“This election, I feel more people felt a need for change in Greene County,” Strode said I also vote because it is one of my civil rights

In “There Goes My Everything: White Southerners in the Age of Civil Rights, 19451975 author Jason Sokol wrote that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a crucial change in momentum for Black Alabamians in Greene County

As Blacks made up more than 75% of the population, they quickly surpassed whites on the voting rolls ” Sokol wrote “Suddenly a political minority few Greene whites knew exactly what had hit them

The shift played out in dramatic fashion in Eutaw’s town square where in 1966 Black and white Alabamians gathered to watch as the vote counts were rolling in for the sheriff ’s race Bill Lee a former tackle for the Green Bay Packers had already been sheriff for 10 years, but the office had been held by his father and brothers going back as early as the 1930s Challenging Lee was Gilmore, had come back home to Greene County just a few years before from Los Angeles In the time since he had come back Gilmore led many protests in Eutaw, often coming face to face with Lee Gilmore ultimately came up short, getting only 1,949 votes to Lee s 2,246

June 27- Greene County Park & Recreation invites the community to attend the Divine Divas Showcase on Saturday, June 27, 2026 at 3:00 PM at the Renaissance Center, 220 Prairie Avenue Eutaw

Come support ourtalented young dancers as they showcase months of hard work dedication and talent through an exciting afternoon of dance and entertainment

Pre-Sale Tickets: $5 | Tickets at the Door: $10

For more information, contact Greene County Park and Recreation at 205-372-2700

Move Inspire Perform

June 28- Eutaw Methodist Church will host America s 250th Birthday at

3:00p m wth congregation singing individuals singing and communty choir childrens choir and Eutaw Chimes God Bless America Patriotic Singing A celebration of God s Grace on American 250th birthday

June 28- New Peace Missionary Baptist Church will be celebrating their Pastor, Rev (Dr ) A B Griffin 33rd Pastoral Anniversary on Sunday, June 28 2026 at 1:00 P M The Rev Randy Miller, pastor of the Mt Zion Mt Hebron Missionary Baptist Church will be the Guest Speaker for this GRAND Occasion, along with his choir and church family

FREE “LOVE GIVEAWAY”

Saturday June 27 2026 from 10:00a m2:00p m

Where: The Greene County Baptist District Christian Center 684 Finches Ferry Road Eutaw AL 35462

T he Le gacy Tr aining Center holds

and opening

The Legacy Medical Training Center is now open in Eutaw, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on June 13, 2026 Founded by Desiree Seymore, the center aims to support underserved communities in West Alabama by providing healthcare training and workforce development.

As part of the Legacy Community Resource and Training Network, the center offers healthcare certification classes and preventative health information. Our goal is to address local challenges such as access to transportation and childcare, which often hinder career progression and health education

Classes are scheduled to begin this fall. We are currently applying for grants to provide these courses to students at no cost

For more information, please visit www legacymedicaltrainingcenter.net, email info@legacymedicaltrainingcenter.net, or call (205) 317-3266

Fax: 205-372-2243

America at 250: Patriotism without tr uth is pr opa ganda

By Julianne Malveaux

How ‘Knicks Fever’ united America

By Marc Morial, President

CEO,

and

National Urban League (TriceEdneyWire com) -

As long as we re unified and doing our best to play our game, we believe no one in the world can beat us " - Karl-Anthony Towns the Knicks' Finals MVP

This year ’s NBA Finals sparked a kind of excitement that many of us haven t experienced since before the pandemic The excitement from Die-hard Knicks day ones to passive fans was as unavoidable as it was contagious Royal Blue and Orange filled airports, sports bars, TV screens, and our social feeds for 10 days of the five-game series And the energy of the Finals couldn t have arrived at a more needed moment The weeks and months leading up to the Game 5 win on June 13th have been riddled with images of war, skyrocketing gas prices, and political turmoil that left many of us disengaged and at times helplessly overwhelmed Then for the first time since 1973 the Knicks reached the NBA Finals Strangers embraced on Fulton Street in Brooklyn People climbed atop city buses A woman from Boston admitted, sheepishly that she had been swept up in it Matthew McConaughey a proud Texan who had rooted against them, offered his congratulations from across the aisle with a phrase that stopped me cold: "America's more fun when New York's happy " Whether you’re a team Spurs or not a fan of New York at all you can’t deny the unifying power of Sports and the collective experience of rooting for the underdog achieving

greatness against all odds For too long we have forgotten what it feels like to want the same thing at the same time And sports, at their best, have reminded us of that throughout history In 1969, America was burning The Vietnam War was tearing the country apart Cities still bore the scars of riots And Americans were still reeling from high-profile assassinations of Civil Rights leaders and a sitting U S President Into that chaos walked the Miracle Mets, a team so improbable the gamblers gave them 100-to-1 odds and they won the World Series anyway For a city of Archie Bunkers, immigrants, and Black people who had come north looking for something better, the Mets sent a message: together, we can all win Long before that in 1947 a 28year-old man from Cairo Georgia put on a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform and walked onto Ebbets Field What Jackie Robinson did that year transcended sports He forced Americans Black and white to watch a Black man perform at the highest level week after week in a sport they loved You could hate integration in the abstract

It was harder to hate it when you needed him to win Sports did not solve segregation But Jackie Robinson gave the cause of equality a face and a box score and neither could be argued away I am not suggesting that a championship erases what divides us We should not underestimate what a city looks like when it decides to want something together Unified cities move us forward They build better schools and elect better leaders They are harder to abandon, harder to ignore, and harder to write off The Knicks gave New York a night and reminded all of us that the job now is to hold onto the feeling and ask what else becomes possible when we stop performing our divisions long enough to remember what we share The ball is in our court

Send Letters to the

The Greene County Democrat P O Box 598 Eutaw, AL 35462

I have never been much for flag-waving patriotism I respect the rituals and I understand why some people are moved by them But my own relationship with patriotism has always been complicated even chilly It is difficult to be sentimental about a nation that enslaved my ancestors, exploited their labor denied them citizenship, terrorized them for seeking freedom, and then asked their descendants to celebrate as if history were a parade instead of a wound I do not even pledge allegiance easily Allegiance to what? To two nations one Black and one white, under whose God divisible, with justice for some? We are asked to place hands over hearts and recite words that have never fully described this country The land of the free and the home of the brave” too often reads, in Black history like the land of the thief and the home of the enslaved That is not cynicism It is memory

As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary we are sure to see fireworks, pageantry, speeches flags concerts and carefully choreographed displays of national pride There will be much talk about freedom, democracy courage and sacrifice There will be less talk about enslavement Indigenous dispossession, racial terror women’s exclusion, immigrant exploitation and the

centuries-long struggle required to force this country to honor even a portion of its promises

That is the problem with patriotic spectacle It too often asks us to celebrate the promise while ignoring the breach

The Declaration of Independence declared that all men are created equal” in 1776, even as enslaved people were bought sold whipped, raped, and worked without wages The Constitution protected slavery Black people built wealth they were forbidden to own Women were excluded from the franchise Native people were pushed from their land And still generation after generation, people denied the full benefits of citizenship fought to expand the meaning of democracy

That is the America I honor not the myth, but the struggle

Black people have never had the luxury of simple patriotism We have loved a country that did not love us back We have served in its wars, built its institutions paid its taxes raised its children, enriched its culture and strengthened its democracy Yet we have had to fight for every inch of recognition and every fragment of justice

Consider the Black soldiers who fought for democracy abroad and came home to racial terror at home Some returned from World War I wearing the uniform of the United States Army, only to be beaten humiliated or lynched by white mobs who understood that the uniform represented a claim to manhood dignity and citizenship Their service did not protect them Their patriotism did not save them Their sacrifice did not guarantee their safety

That history must be part of America’s 250th anniversary

So must the history of Black women who marched organized taught, prayed, strategized, resisted and voted this nation toward a more honest democracy Black women were pushed to the back of suffrage marches, erased from civic narratives and expected to serve movements that did not always serve us Still, we persisted Still we organized Still, we claimed space Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, then newly founded marched in the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D C Black women understood that the vote was not a gift It was a weapon a shield, and a demand Even after the Nineteenth Amendment, Black women in the South were blocked by racist laws and white violence The right existed on paper before it existed in practice

That too is America

Frederick Douglass asked in 1852, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” His question still echoes because the contradiction still echoes How does a nation celebrate liberty while denying it? How does a nation praise democracy while suppressing votes? How does a nation honor veterans while abandoning them? How does a nation speak of freedom while banning books distorting history, and punishing truth-tellers?

America s 250th anniversary could be an opportunity It could invite us into a deeper more mature patriotism one rooted not in denial but in honesty A patriotism that does not require amnesia A patriotism that understands critique as care A patriotism that knows telling the truth about America is not the same as hating America But that will not happen if we allow the commemoration to become one more

exercise in myth-making

We have already seen the direction of travel A cage fight on the White House lawn wrapped in patriotic branding and corporate spectacle is not a celebration of democracy It is the denouement of ritual the hollowing out of civic meaning until the symbols remain but the substance is gone When the people s house becomes an arena when national commemoration becomes marketing when patriotism is staged as combat we should not pretend this is harmless entertainment It is a sign of civic decay We do not need a birthday party built on erasure We need a reckoning We need to ask who built this country, who benefited, who was excluded who resisted, and who is still owed We need to ask why the racial wealth gap persists why voting rights remain under attack, why Black women are still demeaned in public life, why schools are being pressured to silence history and why reparations are treated as radical when theft is treated as tradition At 250 America should be old enough to stop lying about itself Let there be fireworks if there must be Let there be speeches and ceremonies But let there also be memory humility and an accounting Patriotism without truth is propaganda Celebration without reckoning is evasion And a nation that refuses to remember honestly cannot be trusted to move forward justly

Dr Julianne Malveaux is a DC base economist and author Juliann e m a l v e a u x c o m malvceauxnewsletter@gomail com

New Consumer Pr otection Rule tur ns its back on Fair Housing as advocates sue to pr eser ve enfor cement

By Charlene Crowell (TriceEdneyWire com)

-

For more than 50 years the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) has been an effective federal safeguard to ensure that Black Latino Native Americans and other economically marginalized people have fair access to safe and affordable credit

Enacted with bipartisan support in Congress and signed into law by President Gerald Ford in 1974, ECOA has been a legal backbone in the fight against financial discrimination for literally millions of qualified borrowers

But this April, the agency created to be the nation s consumer financial cop on the beat issued a new rule to roll back enforcement of anti-discrimination efforts The bureau s proposal will end disparate impact standard for enforcement actions allow lenders to discourage applicants by race and limit the use of special purpose credit programs to expand access to credit for women Blacks Latinos, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, NativeAmericans older Americans, and other economically vulnerable families

The amendments represent one of the most consequential shifts in federal fair-lending policy in

decades and are likely to prompt litigation challenging key aspects of the rule,” predicted a recent legal blog

That prediction proved correct

On May 27 a federal lawsuit was filed in the U S District Court for the District of Columbia by the National Fair Housing Alliance and four other housing organizations that are suing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and its Acting Director Russell Vought

“The statute did not cha nge The legal decisions did not change Washington’s commitment did,” said Lisa Rice NFHA President and CEO This reversal by the CFPB is a continuation of this Administration’s efforts to gut fair housing and lending protections

“To start, the CFPB failed to identify any concrete problem with the current regulatory regime,” states the lawsuit “The CFPB relied on conclusory assertions and speculation, not evidence to justify its dramatic departure from decades of settled ECOA implementation The CFPB s approach is at odds with the available evidence: As commenters to the proposed rule made clear, public data and research much of it from the CFPB itself show that the Final Rule is illconceived and likely to harm covered entities and consumers alike ” The lawsuit also raises the question of Vought’s authority as an Acting CFPB Director The law that created CFPB explicitly awarded rule making authority to Senate-confirmed CFPB Directors, which Vought is not According to the advo-

cates, during an abbreviated public comment period an estimated 64 500 industry participants, including a coalition of 78 civil rights organizations, other consumer advocates, state attorneys general and Members of Congress, registered their opposition to the reversal

The CFPB set an unusually short thirty-day p u b l i c comment period over the T h a n k s g i v i n g holiday failed to employ a small business advocacy review panel and made not a single material change to the rule in response to tens of thousands of comments the overwhelming majority of which opposed the rule said Janell ByrdChichester, National Fair Housing Alliance General Counsel

Recapping registered opposition comments the housing plaintiffs found that more than 90 percent opposed dropping disparate impact liability, changes to disc o u r a g e m e n t protections, and the elimination of Special Purpose Credit Programs that expand credit access for communities that historically face persistent barriers

The CFPB needs to follow the law and return to its core mission of protecting consumers and s m a l l businesses ” said Paulina Gonzalez-Brito CEO of Rise Economy, whose organization is also a plaintiff If allowed to stand, CFPB’s new rule will shift the burden of proof in cases of discrimination from the powerful to the vulnerable It is also a misguided effort to make consumers prove intent instead of analyzing available, fact-based patterns of economic exclusion Equity in our nation s housing finance system cannot be achieved until or unless families of color are afforded equal opportunities to build wealth through homeownership Disparate impact rightly places the burden in proving marketplace discrimination on lenders and should be preserved

“When the agency built to enforce civil rights and protect consumers walks away from the job, the rule of law remains” added NFHA s Rice That is why we are in court ” Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending She can be reached at Charlene crowell@res p o n s i b l e l e n d i n g o r g " data-linkindex "5">Charlene crowell@responsiblelending org

National Fair Housing Alliance

'Say

it Loud'! - T his musical hit escalated r acial pride and joy in America

By Hazel Trice Edney TriceEdneyWire com)

- They teased him mercilessly Because of the dark complexion of his skin they called him names like Stovepipe and “Smokey ” On the school bus on the playground in the cafeteria, he couldn t escape their cruel taunts

I witnessed some of it personally His name was Leroy I was only about 8 years old at the time I was confused as I watched the heart-breaking behavior; especially since these weren t White children doing the bullying They were other Black children

But then something happened that impacted the lives of Black people of all ages across America – even the bullies In a season of mass confusion around the nation, it gave us a new view of ourselves a new sense of pride in our varied complexions – regardless of how dark or how light

This event caused us to realize that our various skin colors should be a cause for unity; not a cause for separation

The event happened just up from the historic civil rights movement, only four months after the tragic assassination of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr on April 4, 1968 Rising from cities ruined by riots in protest of the assassination radio stations and entertainment television shows began blaring a new tune It was written by the famous godfather of soul , James Brown, and his bandleader Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis The life-changing event was the release of the historic musical masterpiece “Say it Loud! I’m Black and I m Proud!

The song - mostly a chant - swept through the Black community like a fire storm Leroy and millions of other victims of colorism lifted their heads and were taunted no more

The lyrics – a call and response to a funky dance beat - started, “Uh! With your bad self! Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud! Say it loud! I m black and I'm proud!” It continued “Some peo-

ple say we've got a lot of malice Some say it's a lot of nerve But I say we won't quit moving until we get what we deserve We have been 'buked and we have been scorned We ve been treated bad, talked about as sure as you're born But just as sure as it takes two eyes to make a pair, ha, Brother, we can't quit until we get our share "

Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud! Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud! One more time! Say it loud! I'm black and I'm proud!”

When the song hit the public airwaves or record players at home, people hollered back the reframe, “I’m Black and I’m Proud! Many jumped to their feet, twisting and sliding rhythmically across the floor imitating the iconic James Brown dance moves to the soulful beat as they chanted the words

Famous musicians and civil rights leaders recalled the impact of the song in an Apollo Theater Facebook video:

“James Brown’s ‘I’m Black and I m Proud – it was an affirmation of selfrespect And it was a challenge to others to respect themselves and to respect him,” said former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young a foot soldier who had marched alongside Dr King

Fred Wesley a trombonist who worked with James Brown during the 60s and 70s, remembered how “Everybody was trying to think of what to say about Martin Luther King getting shot, about the situation in America, the Civil Rights Movement Everybody just wanted to know how to capsulize it And so, when James Brown said, ‘Say it loud I’m Black and I’m proud, that said it That s it

That’s it ”

National Action Network founder/President Al Sharpton, who has long credited James Brown as a mentor, said the song freed Black people into a season of pride like none other Even more than about pride in racial complexion, it was about pride as a race of people and pride in what Black people had brought to and given to America

“The words were magical, Sharpton concluded I mean that was the ultimate emancipation ”

This article is the second in a four-part series powered by AARP in commemoration of Black Music Month June 2026

City Council Copies 15¢

During public comments, Mrs Gloria McCruter from the Taking Back Our Community (TBOC) Summer Enrichment Program requested financial support for the program TBOC showed up with only a small portion of the over 50 students enrolled this summer, yet they easily commanded the audience’s presence Three students stood alongside her, testifying to the positive impact the program has on them They delighted in the guidance teachers gave academically

Senate Sketches #2035.....by Hank Sander s The Power of Juneteenth

The power of Juneteenth Why celebrate Juneteenth? Why is Juneteenth a critical holiday? Should Black people celebrate Juneteenth? Should White People celebrate Juneteenth? Should all peoples in the United States of America celebrate Juneteenth? The answer is in our knowledge and understanding of Juneteenth The Power of Juneteenth

Slavery was one of the most profound, powerful and deeply rooted forces in the United States of America Therefore its ending was one of the most important events The ending emerged from a varying and turbulent struggle that raged for more than half a century It concluded in a bloody Civil War that claimed more than 600,000 lives and many more injuries and other damages Slavery and its ending must be understood, recognized and celebrated The Power of Juneteenth

Slavery was the key economic force in the building of this country The cotton and tobacco and sugar and other crops produced by slaves were central exports of America The banking industry, insurance industry and other industries were sustained on the back of slavery Slavery was also a pervasive social force in the United States of America It determined caste in ways that survive to this day Slavery and its ending must be understood recognized and celebrated The Power of Juneteenth

Slavery was one of the most impactful issues around which politics was organized in the United States of America Slavery impacted the political ideals and realities of political leaders parties and voters The existence of slavery determined so much concerning the U S Constitution’s construction and therefore the fundamental politics of the country It impacted the manner in which this country expanded from 13 colonies to 50 states stretching from sea to sea across this continent It continues to impact the politics of this country to this day even though slavery officially ended 161 years ago The Power of Juneteenth Juneteenth is uniquely important because of how slavery ended It did not end in one fell swoop but came to its end in small bits and great pieces Individual enslaved persons ran away Groups participated in the underground Railroad to help enslaved peoples escape Individual Northern states ended slavery at varying times A Civil War was declared and fought The Emancipation Proclamation was announced on September 22, 1862 and officially signed by President Abraham Lincoln months later on January 1, 1863 The Civil War effectively ended on April 9, 1865 when Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendered at Appomattox The Thirteenth Amend-

ment was ratified on December 7,1865, officially abolishing slavery Each action was a step in the ending of slavery It was just too many endings to focus on one grand celebration The Power of Juneteenth

There was one celebration in the ending of slavery that erupted so powerfully it continued down through years and decades for more than a century and a half That was Juneteenth It spread slowly over the years, advancing and receding repeatedly over time It culminated in a national Holiday on June 17, 2021 when U S President Joe Biden signed a resolution adopted by the U S Congress making it a legal National Holiday The Power of Juneteenth

Let s explore the origins of Juneteenth The Civil War ended effectively on April 11 1865 The Emancipation Proclamation had been announced on September 22, 1862 and formally issued on January 1 1863 declaring all enslaved persons free in those Confederate States at war with the Union Somehow enslaved persons in Texas did not hear of the end of the Civil War or the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation Texas was so vast so far away and so isolated with few Civil War battles fought in the state until word of these powerful events did not pierce the veil Some 250 000 persons were still enslaved in Texas The Power of Juneteenth

On June 19 1865

Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas He declared that the Executive Branch President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War was over and therefore all enslaved peoples in Texas were free Formerly enslaved persons commenced to celebrate They celebrated the remainder of the day all through the night and the week and even further beyond these moments The Power of Juneteenth

The celebration was first called Jubilee Day or Freedom Day Juneteenth is a combination of the words June 19th There were no such extended celebrations when individual enslaved persons escaped or when the underground railroad delivered formerly enslaved persons or when the Civil War commenced or when the Emancipation Proclamation was proposed and signed or when the Civil War ended or when the 13th Amendment was ratified There was only the celebrations of Juneteenth The Power of Juneteenth

Formerly enslaved persons continued to be joyful that slavery had ended but realized that Black people were not completely free The nature of this slavery based on white supremacy, was so harsh it was called

chattel slavery which means animal slavery, and the roots were still alive and well But the flames of freedom still burned in Texas The flames spread to Louisiana and slowly to other places The Power of Juneteenth

Many persons helped spread the flames of Juneteenth to various places but Opal Lee was first among equals She walked 2 5 miles per day on a trip from Houston, Texas to Washington, D C to dramatize the importance of Juneteenth She was 89 years old at the time Finally, Congress with the help of President Joe Biden answered the collective yearnings and prayers with the declaration of Juneteenth as a national holiday The Power of Juneteenth

Juneteenth reminds us of what once existed and what we have come through It tells us that in the present moment with powerful forces trying to take us back, we can sustain ourselves through this storm It shows us there is a way to freedom and liberty and democracy When we stand on our history of oppression and liberation, we see farther and reach higher The Power of Juneteenth

Now on to the Daily Diary

Saturday, June 13, 2026 – I returned from New Orleans to Selma where I handled various matters and worked into the night Among others, I communicated with the following: Greene County School Superintendent Dr Timothy Thurman; Dr Margaret Hardy of Selma; and Ryan Hagood of the Southern Poverty Law Center

Sunday – I hosted the Sunday School Lesson with Faya Rose Toure on Facebook Live and Z105 3 FM Radio Station and worked into the night Among others I communicated with Sharon Wheeler of Montgomery and Greene County Democrat Co-Publisher Dr Carol P Zippert

Monday – I handled many matters, traveled to Greene County and returned to Selma Among others, I communicated with the following: Greene County School Board members Leo Branch Robert Davis Carrie Dancy, Brandon Merriweather and Veronica Richardson; Josephine Curtis of Selma on her birthday; Dwight Cameron of Tuscaloosa; Dorothy Hulett, Brenda Wheeler and Rosie Whiting of Lowndes County; Former White Hall Mayor Johnny Jackson; and Angelo Moreno of the Alabama Association of School Boards

Tuesday – I handled many matters, traveled to Montgomery for medical appointments, returned to Selma, went to vote, and

worked into the night Among others, I communicated with the following: Marilyn Cosby Karen Jackson, Yolanda Howard and Dr Ernest Okeke of Selma; Latia Parker of the Bridge Crossing Jubilee; Montgomery businessman Raymond Craig; Television reporter George McDonald; and Barbara Amerson Hunter of the Greene County Democrat

Wednesday – I handled various matters participated in interviews to select an Executive Director for the Craig Field Airport and Industrial Authority, attended other meetings as well as a birthday celebration and worked into the night Among others, I communicated with the following: Retired College President Dr James Mitchell; Amos Moore and Connell Towns of the Craig Field Authority; Charles Sanders of Baldwin County; Alabama New South Coalition President Everette Wess; Jonathan Raulston of Jefferson County; and Roxie Walker Jones, Queen Tate and Aaron Roper of Selma

Thursday – I handled various matters, traveled to Montgomery for medical appointments, participated in the SOS Connections podcast returned to Selma and worked into the night Among others, I communicated with the following: Law Professor Emerita Martha Morgan; Karen Jones of Montgomery; CoPublisher of The Greene County Democrat John Zippert; and Reverend Jahmal Sanders of Selma

Friday – This was the Juneteenth Holiday I handled many matters and worked into the night The Juneteenth activities scheduled for this day were rescheduled to Saturday because of adverse weather Among others, I communicated with the following: Annie Pearl Avery of the Ancient Africa and Enslavement Museum; Robert Baxley of Jefferson County; and Geraldine Wofford and K C Bailey of Selma

Epilogue – Symbols are powerful Juneteenth is a symbol which became a national holiday It is a symbol for the long struggle against slavery in these United States It is a symbol of struggles for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness The events may not line up in the ending of slavery but the symbolism lined up The Power of Juneteenth

and spiritually It s a beautiful thing to see all the children in the audience today ” Councilwoman Watkins told McCruter as she recounted when TBOC was just a dream in the making 19 years ago “I take my hat off to you

There was no old business reported Here are the approved new business items for the meeting:

1 Resolution ACT 2026608 #05: Local Unit Retirees and Beneficiaries of Deceased Retirees

2 Resolution 2026-06:

Authorizing Red Clay Concrete Co LLC to assign or subcontract a portion of the R H Young Community Center Roof Replacement Project to Mike O’Bryant Construction Inc

3 Resolution 2026-7: Appointing a committee to evaluate engineering statements and qualifications for the City of Eutaw’s Community Development Block Grant Program

4 Recommendation for City Clerk Ke’Undra Cox pending background check and bonding

5 Travel, per diem, and registration for Linda Spencer, court clerk, and Joe L Powell Court Magistrate, to attend the Alabama Municipal Court Clerks and Magistrates Association 2026 Annual Conference September 2226, 2026, in Perdido Beach, Orange Beach, Alabama

6 Room reservation for Councilwoman Hunter for Wednesday, June 24, 2026, for $135 38

7 Lighting Services Agreement between the City of Eutaw and Ala-

bama Power Company to install a light at the Eutaw Airport Board and Authority by the Council

8 Cease the use of all City Property for profit until approved by the Council; companies will be notified before any actions are taken

9 Easement or Alabama

Power re-route for a secondary line from a pole on the south side of Greenseboro Street across Clarence Thomas Cemetery to a pole near the property of Spiver Gordon at Thomas Avenue; Council members

Hunter and Woodruff opposed 10 Mayor Cockrell Appointments to City Zoning Board of Adjustments, Shalonda Fulgham

The next city council meeting will be held on July 14th at 5:00 pm The next city council work session will be held on July 21st at 5:00 pm and Councilman French encourages citizens to attend with any ideas or concerns

A New Day

This is the beggining of a new day

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR PROPOSED REVISIONS TO WATER QUALITY PROGRAM REGULATIONS

DIVISION 335-6, ADEM ADMINISTRATIVE CODE

FUND CODE 214

Rule No :Rule Title

335-6-10- 07: T o x i c Pollutant Criteria Applicable to State Waters

335-6-10- 11: W a t e r Quality Criteria Applicable to Specific Lakes

Notice is hereby given that a hearing before the Department of Environmental Management of the State of Alabama will be held on Monday, August 24, 2026, at 1:00 p m in the Main Hearing Room at the ADEM – Central Office location at 1400 Coliseum Boulevard in Montgomery, to consider proposed revisions to Division 335-6 of the ADEM Administrative Code (Water Quality Program Regulations)

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management proposes to amend the ADEM Administrative Code rules listed above Additional information on the basis for these proposed rule changes can be found in the Summary of Reasons

Copies of the proposed rules and the Summary of Reasons are available for viewing at each of the locations listed below by appointment and on the ADEM webpage at "https://adem alabama gov /public-notices Copies are also available at a cost as shown in ADEM Admin Code r 335-1-1- 06(6)

ADEM, Office of General Counsel

Attn: Elizabeth Sorrells 1400 Coliseum Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36110-2400 (334) 260-4510

ADEM, Birmingham

Carolyn’s Tid Bits...by Carolyn Young

God has given me this day use as I will I can waste it or use if for good What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, Leaving something in this place I have traded for it I want it to be a gain not

a loss

Happy birthday to Dekaylon D Allen Ava Well Olivia Robinson Sebastian Robinson Donna Winn, C J Jackson, Remona Suttlar, Demarcus Allen, Brianna Meriweather, Donna G Winn, Mark Ivory, Xander Smith, Brandon Young, LaTasha Johnson Ashley Wells Leroy Bowden Jr Billie Clemons III Dorothy Johnson Cynthia W

Le gal Notice

Field Office Attn: Julia Trevarthen 110 Vulcan Road Birmingham AL 35209-4702 (205) 942-6168

ADEM Decatur Field Office

Attn: Jan Childers 2715 Sandlin Road, SW Decatur, AL 356031333 (256) 353-1713

ADEM, Coastal Field Office

Attn: Jenika Monroe 1615 South Broad Street Mobile, AL 36605 (251) 450-3400

The public hearing is being held to receive data, views, and arguments from interested persons regarding the proposed rules Attendance at the hearing is not necessary to present such data, views, arguments or comments as the same may be submitted in writing, but must be received by the Hearing Officer prior to 5:00 p m on Monday August 24 2026

Written submissions and other inquiries should be directed to:

ADEM Hearing Officer Office of General Counsel Alabama Department of Environmental Management P O Box 301463 Montgomery AL 361301463

(Location Address: 1400 Coliseum Boulevard, Montgomery, AL 361102400)

" m a i l t o : H e a r i n g O f f icer@adem alabama gov"h

e a r i n g o f f i c e r @ a d e m a labama gov

Any person wishing to participate in this hearing who needs special accommodations should contact the Department’s Permits & Services Division at (334) 271-7714 at least five working days prior to the hearing

This notice is hereby given this 24th day of June, 2026 by authorization of the Alabama Department of Environmental Manage-

ment

Edward F Poolos

Director

Nondisclosure Statement: The Department does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in the administration of its programs

1tcg 6/24

Legal Notice In the Matter of the Estate of James Delton Rhodes Jr Deceased

Notice to Creditors

Letters Testamentary under the last will and testament of James Delton Rhodes Jr deceased having been granted to the undersigned on the 22nd day of June, 2026, by the Hon Rolonda M Wedgeworth

Probate Judge of Greene County, Alabama, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within the time allowed by law or the same will be bared

Rebecca Miles Rhodes

Personal Representative of the Estate of James Del-

Carter, DeShaun Robinson Gloria Cook Street Toice Goodson Micara D Morrow Ora Deloach Charles Twitty Deborah Goodwin- Hall and Ivan Bailey

Happy Anniversary to Charlotte & Nathaniel Garner and Cleon and adace Stanley

The best way to forget your own problem is to help someone solve his ”

ton, Rhodes , Jr deceased

Richard G Cross Watkins Cross LLC P O Box 1528

Livingstons, AL 35470

3tcg 6/24 71, 8

Legal Notice

Probate Office of Greene County Case Number 2026 Estate of Finest R Miles Deceased

Letter of Testamentary of said deceased having been granted to Rugenia Denise Gulley, as Personal Representative of the 22nd day of June, 2026, by the Honorable Rolonda M Wedgeworth Judge of Probate Court of Greene County, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within the time allowed by law or the same will be bared G Stephen Wiggins Attorney for Personal Representative Capell & Howard, PC 1490 Northbank Parkway Site 226 Tuscaloosa, Al 35406

3tcg 6/24 71 8

NOTICE

The Greene County Highway Department is seeking: HEAVY EQUIPMENT MECHANIC

Drivers License Required

Repairs Automotive & Heavy Equipment

•Performs Maintenance on Automotive & Heavy Equipment

TEMPORARY WORKERS FOR HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT

Driver License is required Semi-Skilled Work Operates Light to Heavy Equipment Apply at Greene County Highway Department 521 Prairie Avenue Eutaw, Alabama 35462 (205) 372-3302

Hours of Operation: 7:00 am-3:00 pm Monday –Friday Timeline to Apply: Ongoing

Greene County Highway Department Is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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